Posts Tagged ‘gardening tips’
Gardening Tips for September
Although September is generally recognised as the end of the summer as the kids go back to school and the nights begin to draw in, you should still enjoy the last of the warm sunny days by tidying your garden, discarding dead summer flowers and turning your attention to the best of this season’s delicious fruit harvests.
Your garden will benefit from autumn colour now with Asters, Dahlias, Echinacea and Japanese anemones which will all add interest to your garden borders.
Echinacea Purpurea
Bedding plants that were the focal point of your garden last month including larkspur and stocks will now have finished flowering and busy lizzies, petunias and verbena will also be looking past their best. It is hard to know when to dig them out but the thought that your spring bulbs and autumn bedding need to be planted now will give you the added impetus to get going!
Firstly, prepare your soil and then choose from a full and inspiring array of bulbs ready for spring. Daffodils and tulips are easy to grow and as long as they are well fed, they should produce flowers for years to come.
September is the time to cut your evergreen conifer hedges – cut from the top of the hedge rather than clipping the new growth. Beech hedges should be trimmed with secateurs rather than hedge trimmers and concentrate on a shape that is tapering – thinner at the top rather than the base. Looking forward to the depths of winter, this shape will help snow fall from the branches rather than snapping them under the weight.
Your baskets and containers should still be going strong if you have fed and watered them regularly. If they are starting to look tired, reinvigorate growth by adding a soluble plant food around the roots and on the leaves. Or choose a vibrant new display of cyclamen, pansies and violas.
Your lawn will still need to be mowed now but once a fortnight will be enough as the growth of your grass slows due to the cooler weather. If you have a height adjuster on your lawnmower, alter it now so that the grass a little longer at each cut. Rake and scarify your lawn to get rid of any dead matter and then aerate the lawn to allow air into the top few inches. Your lawn will benefit from a feed now for a stronger root system and to harden growth.
Your homegrown plums should be ripe for picking now and of course, your apples too, as the apple season begins.
Harvest your vegetables throughout this month and store some away for use over the winter. Onions are especially worth storing. This is best started on a dry sunny day when the roofs should be broken and lifted using a fork. The leaves should be allowed to shrivel back before you lift the bulbs and let them dry on a patio under the sun. Choose the better onions for storing.
Your maincrop potatoes will now be turning brown to show they are ready for harvesting and storing. If you are using gro-bags, simply turn out your potatoes for an instant crop ready for cooking. If grown in your Edible Garden, you will need to be a little more careful! Trim the foliage and then wait for about 10 days until you harvest. Lift the potatoes to the surface using a fork and leave them for a few hours for the skins to harden. Like onions, choose the better potatoes for storage. Use hessian sacks to store your potatoes in small batches.
Continue to water and feed regularly your tomatoes, sweet peppers and aubergines for faster ripening and the best flavour. Remove a few of the lower leaves so that your fruits will see as much sun as possible.
And don’t worry, you have not left it too late if you want to grow your own late leaves for salads. Use a window box or windowsill for great results even now.
Raspberries will still be cropping if you are growing them against a fence but time may be running out due to the mild spring and the early onset of the season. Cut your raspberry and blackberry canes down to ground level and new canes tied into horizontal supports.
Remember to clear any fallen fruits from the ground so they do not create a wasp problem. Try to use up your early apples straight away as they will not store well.
Finally, we are likely to see the last of the summer this month so if the sun does make an appearance, make the most of it!
September Top Tips - Plant & Harvest
September is the time of year when we see the end of one summer and start planning for the next!
The days are shorter and the weather begins to turn whilst nature itself begins to show the signs of the forthcoming autumn.
Watch out for the onset of stormy weather and protect any weak or fledgling plants and by adding mulch to your borders you will have more control over the moisture levels as mulch will retain moisture from heavy rainfalls and help to combat long periods of dry weather too.
Hanging baskets should still be flowering now so keep them going a little longer and maintain your routine of deadheading, feeding and watering regularly. Once they have completely finished, plant up with spring flowering bulbs ready for next year but remember to protect from the harsh weather over the winter.
Here at Grosvenor, our considerable bulb collection is now arriving regularly with new varieties on offer too. The Bulb of the Year is the Narcissus ‘February Gold’ variety for bright yellow blooms to welcome the spring.
Two year old (and older) herbaceous perennials can be divided now too – including Campanula, Crocosmias and Leucanthemum – but younger perennials should be left until next year. Continue to cut back perennials and September is also a great time to plant new perennials and take cuttings from young perennials too. Remember to bring them inside before the frosts take hold.
And now onto what is rapidly becoming one of the most popular pastimes in the garden – your Edible Garden. And this month, much of your hard work comes to fruition as you begin to harvest the first Brussels sprouts, leeks, parsnips and sweetcorn and pick delicious fruits such as blackberries, blueberries (a ‘superfruit’), loganberries and raspberries.
You can also sow Spring Onion ‘winter’ variety now and Cabbage Greens and Spinach until the end of the month.
Wildlife is extremely important and this time of year we need to do all we can to help the birds and wildlife before they migrate or hibernate over the winter months.
Keep your birdbath topped up, not only providing birds with bath water but also a recognised source of drinking water. Here at Grosvenor, we have a great range of everything you need to provide different varieties of birds with seeds and feed mixes to ensure each bird receives the correct nutrients as a supplement to their natural diets.
Continue to watch for British bats during the evenings, together with young mammals such as badgers, foxes, hedgehogs and voles. It is a common misconception that a young hedgehog should be fed with bread and milk. Please don’t do this as cat or dog food is preferable. Again, visit our wildlife department on your next visit to Grosvenor to see our range of hogitats, bat boxes and many more habitats for our wildlife to nest in.
You should still be able to see plenty of butterflies in September and insects too. Encourage wildlife to your garden by ignoring a few general gardening jobs. For example, don’t trim your hedges too often as they provide fantastic shelter and nutrition for wildlife. Roses that provide hips should be left too as they also provide a source of food. If you are looking to attract more insects to your garden in particular, include plants such as Buddleia and Lavenders. Single flowered blooms generally attract more insects.
Finally, make the most of the closing days of summer and enjoy your garden. Next month we will be taking a look at the arrival of autumn and preparing for winter.
Top Tips for September:
1. Plant spring flowering bulbs
2. Continue to water tender plants regularly
3. Add mulch to your borders to help regulate moisture from late summer rainfalls
4. Keep your birdbath topped up
5. Begin to harvest vegetables for winter.
Birds, Bees and a Bank Holiday - August in the Garden
August marks one of the warmest months in the British calendar and your garden should be at its beautiful best.
Not only will it look good, you will be able to enjoy it for longer as the evenings have yet to draw in and the children are still on holiday and enjoying playing out in the fresh air. And whilst the children play, you can be getting on with a few jobs in the garden!
It is vital to water your plants and containers regularly and copiously now – collected rainwater is great for this. And while you are at it, top up ponds, water features and bird baths too!
The Hydrangea is our August Plant of the Month with its display of large, striking blooms. Choose from a variety of shades to suit most garden colour schemes and soils.
Your Edible Garden should be at its peak in August – bursting with delicious home-grown fruits and vegetables so pick your summer fruit and use any surplus to make jams for the coming months. Enjoy pies, jams and desserts with apples and blackberries and prepare your strawberry beds now for next year.
It is the perfect time to harvest your vegetables from the first of the leeks and pumpkins to the last of the mangetout peas and rhubarb. Freeze any excess to enjoy throughout the winter.
Onions, garlic and shallots can also be raised when ready – watch for the stem to change colour and begin to bend. They will need to dry out before you eat them and will then taste delicious.
Flowering herbs should be cut back now for a second growth and herbs can be potted and taken indoors so that you can use them easily over the winter months. Comfrey, rosemary, sage and thyme should be ready for harvesting now.
Hanging baskets should still be going strong so keep on top of deadheading to encourage flowering right through to the autumn. This also applies to bedding and cut back herbaceous plants and hardy geraniums this month too.
Wisteria and Pyracantha, together with climbing and rambling Roses, can be pruned if they have finished flowering and perennials can now be divided. Make sure they do not dry out though! Hebes and Lavenders can also be cut back gently.
Towards the end of the month is a great time to begin to sow bi-annuals into your borders ready for wonderful displays of flowers next summer.
Top Tips for August
1. Continue to water weekly and feed with a liquid feed weekly or fortnightly
2. Trim hedges – don’t forget to ensure any nesting or sheltering wildlife is protected
3. Continue to deadhead shrubs to encourage longer flowering
4. Your lawn may begin to look brown now but don’t worry – it will soon become green again with the first autumn rains
5. Clean water features with algicides – especially if the water is shallow
6. Clean your bird bath and bird tables
7. Plant particular plants to attract insects – especially those with single flowers
8. Watch out for British bats during the evenings – they keep midges and other small insects at bay!
Enjoy July in the Garden with Grosvenor
The height of the summer season is upon us and one of the most enjoyable months when we can really sit out and enjoy our gardens late into the evenings.
July is also one of the busiest months in the gardening calendar and what a pleasure it is to get stuck in to those jobs with the heat of the summer sun on our backs.
Lawn care is vital now as the increased amount of use it receives can be quite stressful so make sure you treat it to some tender, loving care with plenty of water. This should be done early in the morning or late in the evening for the most benefit to your lawn as the moisture will not evaporate as easily. Your lawn will also be much stronger if you feed it regularly, preferably with an organic feed, and mow it at least once a week now. However, if the weather is very dry, avoid mowing and allow the grass to grow slightly longer to prevent stress.
Summer vegetables and salads are ready for harvesting from your Edible Garden so enjoy beetroot, summer cabbage, lettuce, melon, radishes, spring onions and delicious fresh peas now. You can also continue to sow dwarf French beans during the early part of the month and more lettuce for a fresh supply right to the end of the season.
Pots and hanging baskets should be at their best now so continue to feed and deadhead regularly. You can also plant late flowering plants now for colour in the autumn. Amaryllis and autumn Crocuses are perfect. Take cuttings of your patio plants now ready for next summer.
Houseplants would love a bit of sunshine now too! Feed and water as necessary and place them outside while the weather stays warmer to give them a boost.
Finally, enjoy July! Usually the warmest month of the year, it’s the perfect month to make the most of your garden.
Top Tips for July
1. Deadhead, feed and water bedding plants regularly
2. Raise your pots off the ground so that they drain easier
3. Prune your wisteria now to control growth and improve strength in the sideshoots
4. Prune spring shrubs once they have finished flowering
5. Trim hedges if they are fast growing such as box or privet but as always, remember to watch for nesting birds.
Bank Holiday
What beautiful weather we have had this weekend! Long may it continue! We think many of you were out and about and enjoying your gardens as it was very busy here at the garden centre.
We are surrounded by rolling countryside here at the garden centre with Cheshire in one direction and North Wales in another. And this month is the perfect time to remind ourselves how lucky we are to work in a garden centre! The planteria is looking particularly vibrant with stunning colours everywhere to enhance your gardens - from the deep pinks and reds of azaleas, Berberis and Nemesia to lovely sunny yellows and oranges of Choisya and Laburnum and the ever popular purples and mauves of Ceanothus, Lavender and Lilacs. And if hanging baskets and containers are more your style, we have now received our stunning Grosvenor 16″ hanging baskets that we know many of you look forward to seeing each year.
And this Bank Holiday is a great time to visit us here at Grosvenor. Contrary to popular opinion, we are open not only for usual Sunday trading hours, but for the full day on Bank Holiday Monday from 8.30am until 6pm. In fact, if you are an early riser and arrive between 8.30am and 9.30am, we will treat you to a free cup of tea or coffee! And as an extra treat, we will give you 10% off everything except gift vouchers and stamps until 10am so come along and say hello!